These Are The Days
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day four hundred and ninety-seven:  chang squared #4  With a growing friendship, Mike introduces Tina to her inner football fan.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 23rd cycle. Now cycle 24!_

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**"These Are The Days"  
14yo Mike/Tina  
Chang Squared #4 **

He invited her to come to his game. She wasn't exactly football-savvy, but if he wanted her there, then who was she to say no? She could learn about football; maybe she'd like it once she understood it? And it wasn't their first 'activity.' In recent weeks, there had been a few times, here and there. But then as time went on, the gaps between one and the next only grew shorter. Sure, they saw each other at school, but this was different. They'd go to the other's house after school, or on weekends… but her favorite part was the morning bus ride.

She would get on three stops before he did… three longest stops in the world. She would get a double seat, and then it was just a matter of keeping that second seat reserved for him. She had received her fair try and be denied that seat, but it didn't matter, because he would arrive. He would tap the window to draw her attention, and then when he got on, he made his way over. She'd pull her by from the seat and to her lap just in time for him to take the vacated seat. And then they were set until McKinley.

They had become friends, definitely friends now… and she loved that. She had coped, on her own, before him, but she would be lying if she'd said she wasn't hoping for more, even just a friend. Of course there was something much more than friendship which she secretly hoped for between her and Mike Chang. She wouldn't say it, couldn't. Everything between them was perfect, so why would she risk messing it up? What if she said something and lost him because of it? She sort of felt that he had something for her, too, but she could have been wrong for all she knew. How embarrassing would it be for her to open herself up, only to leave herself defenceless to a direct blow to the heart, foolishly?

Still all her dreams now were creating stories of love for her and Mike…

Her father dropped her off at the field for Mike's game, giving her a long list of terms and explanations in hopes of helping her understand what they would do, so she might enjoy herself, too. She would gladly have been content just sitting there and simply cheering for Mike, whether he'd done something good or not, but this would be good, too. Her father told her, not for the first time, how her mother had been in a position not unlike her own, cheering him on when he played for the team.

Once her father was gone, she went toward the bleachers, though her eyes were looking for him, for Mike. Here he was number nine, and eventually she spotted the jersey… just as he turned. He saw her, and she waved. He ran over to her, at the bottom of the bleachers.

"You made it!" he was happy.

"Yes, I'm ready for some football," she bowed her head, trying to sound tough, which made him laugh.

"You're in the right place, then," he promised her and she smiled. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Oh, I've liked f-football, since…" she nodded, then paused, "… well, m-maybe ten minutes… I think," she explained without explaining.

"You won't regret it," he told her, just before the coach's whistle forced him to let her get up in the bleachers while he joined his teammates. Tina was excited, if only due to the smile Mike had thrown her before tugging his helmet on. She tried to not lose him from sight; they all looked the same once their heads were covered.

"Come on, number nine!" her voice carried as she clapped her hands with a hop.

The game started, and Tina's eyes darted from one side to the next, following jersey number nine through… Well, it took her a while to get a hang of it, even with her father's "lesson." By the end of it though, she was just as into it as anyone in those bleachers… if not more. Her throat would be raw from shouting her way through that game… especially when Mike helped his team score their way into a victory. When he came over to her, in his regular clothes, she grinned.

"That was awesome," she held out both hands and he obliged by giving the double high five.

"What happened to your voice?" he asked, confused.

"I m-might have overdone the ch-cheering," she explained, smirking. "C-congratulations, you were the b-best!" she told him as she came down to meet him.

"Couldn't lose… I don't think you would have let me," he told her, and she shook her head, beaming.

He was her friend now, and she knew. In order to be positive she ignored the concept of an 'only friend' and instead deemed him her best friend. And after a moment of silence, looking at one another with the post-game joy, the idea that they could ever progress from that status to something more was clinched, with a kiss. He leaned, she stretched, and as their lips met he wrapped his arms around her to make sure she didn't lose balance and end the moment prematurely. It was her first kiss, with him or anyone, and if she had anything to say about it, this would not be the last, for them both. As they pulled back, he still held on to her, and their eyes wouldn't turn away.

"C-can we do that again?" she asked and, with a smile, he obliged.

THE END

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**A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
****always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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